The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-05-10
THE SHOTGUN GUARD.
A CONVERSATION RELATIVE TO THE
EXPLOITS OF HIGHWAYMEN.

How Road Agents Attack stage-Try-
ing 20 the Nerves of the Guard-Let-
tiers of warning-A Case of Total Col
lapse.
When the treasure box came in on the
Deadwood stage the other day, the MEM
bers of the shotgun guard carried 1T into
the express car and sat down by its SIDE.
There were three of them. The box had
$4,000 in bullion in it, and as usual
crowd assembled to look at it and at the
men having it in charge. AS there was
an hour before the train would start, the
crowd and the guard fell into converse
ton relative to train and stage robDerleS.
After some of the exploits of highwaymen
on the Hills road had been referred 10,
Bill Dunn, one of the shotgun men, said:
81 see that there is heap of talk in the
papers about the cowardice OF men who
happen to be mixed up in tussles with the
agents. Now, this is all very funny when
YOU are 1000 miles away from them ana
know there isn't Winchester within
four miles of you, but the thing takes on
q different aspect when you are within
range. / never was in hold up DuI
once, but have seen more than one time
when felt as though [ would like to get
out and walk and let the box go. The
fact that YOU have so much money in your
keeping is Of itself enough to make you
nervous in a country like this. As rule
when agents attack a treasure coach or
train they are OH you before you know II.
Then you can fight or die, just as you
please. The times that make your shirt
collar wilt are when you have reason 10
believe that you are to be attacked and
yet are not attacked.
LETTERS OF WARNING.
seWhen 1 carried a gun on the Sidney
route there was month at one time thai
/ never left Deadwood without having re-
ceived a letter notifying me that was to
be held up on that trip. Sometimes got
the warning through the the postofhce,
once [ received it in Sidney, and several
times it was pushed under my door at my
boarding house when l was asleep. In
some of the letters the writer assumed to
be the robber, and he always wound up
his warning with the words: SO look out,
I'll have the box, and I may have you.
Others of them, though they were all
written in the same hand, came ostensibly
from others parties, who pretended to
have only my interest at heart? OF course
I knew that that was dangerous road,
and it was my business to shoot and be
shot; but after this sort of thing had been
kept up for a fortnight or so began to
get nervous. / found that every time
started it took a bigger drink to get my
nerves in condition, and on inquiring the
value of the box ] came to feel sort OF
relief when it was comparatively small.
The thing was wearing on me, and at last
got so ! thought / could tell how
strangers out here, who came west with
exaggerated ideas of the dangers to be en-
countered, felt when they found their
fears realized. Now, I'll tell you some
thing that was never told yet.
A 4 Iod xyaT
ings for about three or four weeks left
Deadwood one day with box worth
5000 0OO AS soon as 1 heard the value of
the bullion the perspiration came out on
me, for, 1 thought to myself, these cut
throats always know when there is a big
treasure aboard and this is their meat.
It made me mad to find myself so nervous,
because the fact is L never yet ran, and
don't think / ever will, and l walked
around a little while trying to get my
grip. The fact of the matter was ] wasn't
well The work had been heavy, and my
anxiety had upset me. But when it came
time to start put on a reckless air, and
getting up in front with the driver babe
the boys good-by and we drove of.
TOTAL COLLAPSE. =
1.-THE roads were heavy, and before we
reached the first station, where we were
to pass the night, it was dark. Some of
you may know what darkness in western
Nebraska was in those days. We had
about three miles to travel before hauling
mp for the night, and Parker, the driver,
and were straining our eyes to see the
light, when, with sudden yell at the
horses he pulled them up on their launches
and shrieked in my ear: Whats that?
Well, now, at the instant that he first
yelledsthere was q crack like rifle, and
-. - Il as well as he. 1t may seem
ab:s1zl5 ridiculous, and so it was, but the
aiL1ntEe that he shrieked just dropped off
ths each like log, shotgun and all.
oW It. happened cannot tell to this day.
=, as e. total collapse. had no power
over myself and, what is more, when /
found myself in the mud almost under
the horses heels could not rise. am
free 20 admit that if an agent had shown
up just then would have caved. He
could have anything that he wanted.
'eFhe driver got down after little and
helped me mp. By that time he was con
WINGED shat ere were no robbers around,
and on Feass 1ring me we went back a
little ways and found that the report
Which we had heard had come from me me
breaking of a dry limb over witch the
coagh, bad run. knew that tbat, tbino
|, gotaseat it would ruin me mel the business,
and liked 1t up with the driver so that
we agreeflr2sG e say nothing about it. After
Lao "trip | took rest for few days, and
when I felt better I went back to work,
and I haven't fallen off from anything
since. Since then, also, I have made it a
point never TO think much about agents.
Il don't do you any good, and it may dc
you harm. And that's why never make
lny remarks when hear Of a tenderfoot
n g hold-up rushing around and insisting
Shat the agent shall take some things
which he never asks for. He simply can
not control himself He has fallen off the
box, so to speak, and needs rest and recu
peration Dakota Cor. New York Sun
Bats in the Mammoth Cave
Looking up at the sides of the great
dome in the Mammoth cave, asked the